The XML Shockwave

What every CEO needs to know about the key technology for the new economy The XML Shockwave What every CEO needs to know about the key technology for the new economy All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the Publishers, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or interviews.. The authors and publishers have made every effort in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information. However, the information in this book is provided without warranty, either expressed or implied. PageMaker is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated, Word is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. The Internet is changing business much faster and in more far-reaching ways than even the most optimistic technology pundits could have predicted. The potential for drastically cutting costs by conducting business via the Web is enormous. This is why more and more companies plan to handle purchasing, distribution and logistics via the Internet – preferably in the context of an integrated information and supply chain. Analysts therefore estimate a much higher growth potential for the Internet in the business-to-business sector than in the consumer market. Many companies falsely assume that they will have to reorganize their business to gain the advantages that electronic business can bring. In reality , however, it is much more important to link existing processes in intelligent ways in order to tap new markets and customers. The key to success here is the eXtensible Markup Language, or XML. XML is the fuel that will drive the engines of electronic business. This universal meta language ensures that Internet applications " understand each other " and that Internet applications and traditional enterprise software can communicate smoothly. Thus, XML makes it much easier to design integrated business processes, for example, where an order to a supplier triggers production and then generates a shipping order with a freight carrier. The benefits of XML can be summed up in one word: The XML Shockwave 6 The technology and tools for building XML-based applications exist today , and the first exciting applications based on XML are currently being rolled out into the market place. The most promising application areas for …